


A Royal Prat and His Manservant

by beatlelover22



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur has a sneeze fetish, Cold, Common Cold, Fainting, Fever, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, M/M, Oblivious Arthur, Protective Arthur, Sick Character, Sick Merlin (Merlin), Sickfic, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 01:30:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19879369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beatlelover22/pseuds/beatlelover22





	1. Chapter 1

“Merlin, do you want to be late this morning?” Gaius inquired, frustrated. He was standing in the doorway of Merlin’s chambers, staring at the lump beneath the sheets that he presumed was his apprentice. “Merlin.”

With a groan, the lump moved. “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Gaius figured this was as good of a response as he was going to get and left him be. As soon as Merlin heard the physician leave, he poked his head out of the covers and rubbed his nose with the back of his wrist.

He’d begun feeling poorly the day before. Nothing serious, just a sore throat and mild congestion. This morning however, his nose itched insistently and he kept getting the feeling that he was going to sneeze. Merlin could also feel a headache coming on. It was going to be a long day.

The young wizard swung his legs out of bed and stood up dizzily. A beam of light hit him right in the eyes and his nose gave a tiny twitch. “ _Hehh’ **SHUHHH!**_ ” 

Merlin dressed, draping his scarf around his neck and slipping on his boots. He said goodbye to Gaius and left, a lingering itch deep in his sinus.

* * *

“Bordig, Sire!” Merlin said congestedly, pulling back the curtains to reveal a stream of sunlight. Arthur moaned while his manservant tried to muffle his sneeze. “ _Hahh’ **GNNNKT!**_ ”

Upon hearing the strange sound, Arthur sat up in his bed. “Merlin,” he said slowly, “was that a—”

“ _Heh’ **SHUH!**_ ”

“—sneeze?” Arthur finished lamely. “You’re not sick, are you?”

Merlin blushed at the suspicion in Arthur’s voice. “Doe, Sire. Jusd allergies, I thingk.”

“You think or you know?”

“I kdow.”

Arthur squinted at him. “You what?”

“Deverbind, I’b fide. Here’s your breagfast.” Merlin gestured to a silver platter covered with sausages, a pastry and some oats. He turned to leave and begin his other chores for the day, but the prince stopped him.

“Oh, and Merlin?”

“Yes?”

Arthur chewed meaningfully and swallowed before continuing. “I’ll need you for practice today.”  
Merlin mentally cringed. In other words, he’d be used as a target for every knight in Camelot. Fantastic.

* * *

“C’mon, Merlin!” Sir Percival was taunting. “Surely you can put up a better fight than this!”

The knight was jabbing at the servant with a sword and Merlin was just barely dodging his blows every time. While the other knights were clad in armor, helmets and wielded swords and shields, the young warlock was expected to hold his own with a small table top as protection and an ancient broom as a weapon. 

Finally, the tip of the sword made contact with wood and Merlin stumbled back on his backside, landing hard in the grass.

Percival’s sword was held just under Merlin’s chin. This is a very bad time to sneeze, Merlin thought to himself as his nostrils flared and his eyes shut. 

Luckily, the knight recognized the familiar signs and stepped back, withdrawing his sword.

“ _Het’ **CHHSHUUH!** Ahhh... AhHH! **ATSCHH!**_ ”

“Bless you,” Elyan offered.

Merlin stood up again, rubbing his nose.

“Alright,” Arthur ordered. “Leon, you’re next. Let’s have at it.”

The curly-haired fellow stepped up and allowed Merlin to readjust his “shield.” 

Holding the broom out in a somewhat defensive position, Merlin nodded. With this affirmation, Leon lunged and the fight was on.

As the mock-duel progressed, the young man began to feel light-headed as well as sneezy. Mid-fight, his eyelashes fluttered and his eyes squeezed shut. 

“ _Ehh’ **CHHHUHH!**_ ” 

This one moment of weakness ultimately cost him his weapon as he reopened his eyes in time to see Leon slice brutally through the hand of his broom. The top half fell to the ground in defeat.

Merlin felt like he was swimming in heat. He tried desperately to focus on his opponent but Leon was fading in and out of his vision.

Leon stopped. “Arthur, he doesn’t look so good.”

Arthur brushed him off. “He’s fine. Leon, keep going.”

Merlin blinked, in a daze somewhere far away.

“No, Sire, I really don’t think—”

As soon as the words left Leon’s lips, Merlin was swaying on his feet. He collapsed onto the ground, his shield clattering on top of him.

“Merlin!” Arthur shouted, now alarmed. His macho, “I don’t care about my servants” act was officially over. “Merlin.” He brushed the unconscious man’s hair out of his face. The knights all crowded around him.

“Will he be alright?” Gwaine asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

Merlin groaned and opened his eyes, much to Arthur’s relief. “Merlin?”

The young wizard struggled to speak. “I... I... _ihhh... **ISHHOOO!**_ ” He tried to turn away from his friend but ended up completely sneezing on him.

Percival bit his lip to keep from laughing and Leon was hiding a smile behind his hand.

“Bless you, Merlin,” Elyan told him, breaking the silence.

“S-sorry, Sire. I was feelig a bid overheated.

Arthur nodded. “Okay, practice is over. Good job, men.” He dismissed them, then turned to Merlin and helped him up. “Let’s go get some water.”

“ _Heh’ **CHHSSS!**_ ” Merlin sneezed weakly, off to the side.

Arthur cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly. “Uh... bless you.”


	2. Chapter Two

Merlin awoke to the feeling of a cool cloth on his forehead. He blinked, once, twice, until Arthur slowly came into focus. The prince was staring at him, a trace of worry in his eyes.

“Merlin?”

“Arthur...” Merlin mumbled, groggy. “Arthur!” He exclaimed, sitting up quickly and scrambling back into the bed’s headboard. “Ah!” His hand rubbed the back of his head, where there was sure to be a bump give or take a few minutes. He continued trying to rub the pain away. “Erm, sorry, ab I id your bed?”

Arthur nodded. “Yeah. You fainted earlier.”

Merlin groaned. This was not the very incident, either. “Did you tell Gaius?”

“No...” The prince suddenly looked panicked. “Should I?”

The young wizard shook his head. “Doe, don’d. I dod’t want him to worry about me. You should’t either. I’b _fihhh... iihhH! **IXSHHUHH!**_ Fide.”

“Bless you,” he murmured. “Why didn’t you just tell me you were sick?”

Merlin flushed, although it could’ve just been the fever. “I kdew you had work to do ad I cad stdill do id, you kdow. Dothig’s changed.” 

He gave a liquid sniffle and fought not to wipe his nose on his sleeve. “ _Sddff!_ ” He swung his scrawny legs over the side of the bed and prepared to stand up.

“Really, Arthur, I cad do by job. Id’s doe big deal. _Heh’ **SHUHHH! EKKSHHH!**_ ”

Arthur stood up and crossed his arms. “No, Merlin. Honestly, my chambers could use some work, but so could you. I mean, you can’t even talk properly! Maybe I should send for Gai—”

“Doe, please!” Merlin begged. “I dod’t want him to kdow I’b sick.”

“Why?”

“Because I, ub, well, I wanted to go for a walk bud id was raining ad Gaius warned be I’d get sick but I went andway ad I wouldn’t wand him to rub it id.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “For Chrissake, blow your nose! Trying to understand you is annoying me to no end.” 

Apparently, the sympathetic side of Arthur had departed and Disgusted Arthur had taken his place.

“Sorry,” Merlin mumbled. “I dod’t hab a — _ahhh... **AHSHHHHT!**_ ”

“Here.” An embroidered handkerchief was tossed his way.

“Do you really want be _sd-sduhhh..._ sdeezig id this? Id looks ibportand.”

Arthur snatched the piece of cloth away from his servant and held it up to his face. “Blow.”

“Bud Arthur, I—”

“Blow!”

So he did, blushing all the while. After he was done and Arthur had ordered him to climb back in bed, only then did Merlin dare to ask his question.

“Why’d you do that?”

Arthur sat on the edge of the bed and shrugged. “Do what?”

“You know.” Merlin gestured to his pink nose.

“Oh. That.”

Merlin shivered, pulling the blankets up to his chin. “Yes, th-that.”

“Are you cold?” The blonde inquired abruptly, changing the subject. Merlin let him; he was obviously uncomfortable with the previous topic.

“A — _lihhh.. lihhHH! Ihh’ **SHHHOOO!**_ — a little.”

To Merlin’s shock, Arthur crawled underneath the sheets as well, joining his servant.

“I’b s-sorry, did you wadt be to — _gehhh... **ETSHHHHH!**_ — ged out?” Merlin asked, ready to retreat from the warmth that was Arthur’s bed.

“No,” Arthur whispered. “I’m just tired.”

Merlin gulped as he felt Arthur’s leg accidentally brush up against his own. 

“ _Heh’ **SHHHUUUHHH! IGGXXTT!**_ ”

“You should try to get some rest.”

“I’ll try.”

“I’ll wake you in a few hours so you can get back home.”

The warlock nodded. “Thag you.” Only minutes later, Merlin was just about to drift off to sleep when he felt a tickle deep in his nose. 

“ _Ehhh... eh’ **SHUUHHHhh**..._” He turned his head and sneezed sleepily into the pillow.

“Bless you.” Arthur seemed to mutter in his sleep. One of his arms reached out, as if it had a mind of its own, and attached itself to Merlin, in an awkward kind of hug.

“ _Exxx’ **SHHHOOO!**_ **”**

“Mmm...” Arthur moaned subconsciously.

With a sudden realization, Merlin thought he’d discovered the reason for Arthur’s actions toward his well being. He enjoyed it. And that was just fine with Merlin.


End file.
